A single man sat hunched over his laptop, studying the latest information he had collected earlier that morning from a piece of ancient technology, four floors down. He rubbed his eyes wearily, and lifted the cold cup of coffee to his lips. He spit the cold coffee right back into his cup and set it down, grimacing at the watered down bitterness.

"Rodney…shouldn't you be asleep?" came Carson's voice suddenly.

Rodney jumped at the sound of his best friend's voice and smiled softly, "probably…I put Lauryn to sleep an hour ago…I wasn't tired so I thought I'd stay up for awhile."

"Aye, well you look exhausted now, so…are we doing anything big for the wee one's birthday?"

"Carson…she's only a year old."

"It's her birthday…"

"We're not discussing this Carson, that girl is spoiled plenty as it is, she doesn't need a birthday party."

"You're a party pooper."

"Carson, when she turns four or five…or she's more aware then maybe we'll have a birthday party, but as of this moment, she's only turning one, she'll survive with just everyone telling her they love her."

"Not even a cake?" Carson asked.

"No, because last I checked I'm the one who will be staying up with her all night as she comes down from the sugar high."

"She's my surrogate niece," grinned Carson.

"And she's my adoptive daughter…I have the papers to prove it…"

"Congratulations, come on Rodney…not even a small one with a whole group of us…"

"Dadda!" came a small cry from a nearby intercom.

"No," Rodney said as he stood up and headed for the door leading to his room.

"Rodney…" Carson began.

"Carson, I said no, go to sleep, I am," with that Rodney disappeared into the bedroom and smiled softly at the soon to be one year old girl crying in the crib, "hey there angel," he whispered as he reached down into the crib and gently lifted the girl into his arms. Pulling her close he smiled as she rested her head against his neck and sighed softly. "What's go my little girl in an uproar?" he moved calmly over to the nearby rocking chair and sat down, sighing softly to himself as he gently rubbed the whimpering baby's back.

"You realize you're going to be one in aweek…can you believe it. It was barely two years when we found you…You've changed my world little one…just ask anyone."

Lauryn was with Elizabeth for the afternoon, while Rodney worked four floors down on the ancient piece of technology he had found, it wasn't all that different than the machine they had found that had held the entity from a year and a half ago. He was so intent on the information, as the hours passed, he and Radek continued working, that he never noticed his friend calling him for lunch. Radek tried to pry Rodney from the machine twice, before finally giving up and getting some lunch. Radek returned nearly half an hour later, his friend still hunched over the machine and his computer screen, studying the information on the screen in front of him. He murmured something in Czech before moving back over to his corner.

Rodney sighed, eyeing his friend and reached into the machine to tap a few wires, suddenly he cried out in pain as he felt a jolt of electricity run through his entire body. Blackness engulfed him as he fell to the ground.

Radek was on the other side of the room when he heard Rodney's scream, just as he turned around, he watched in horror as Rodney's body dropped to the ground unconscious

"Rodney…what the hell?" Radek growled as sparks shot from the machine he had just touched, worried he headed over to his unmoving friend. He half expected Rodney to wake up and start complaining, but was horrified when he reached out to shake him, and found his friend absolutely limp. Reaching over his arms, Radek pressed his finger's to Rodney's neck…nothing. "DOCTOR BECKETT!"

The next twenty-five minutes were absolute chaos, Beckett pushed Radek out of the way as he came in to study his best friend, orders were shouted, tears were shed, and anger was vented. Rodney was taken straight up to the infirmary, where Carson put him on life support, the prognosis wasn't good, "he's alive…we got his heart beating again…however we have reason to believe he's brain dead."

Teyla, Ronan, Radek, John and Elizabeth all stood, staring in stunned sadness as Carson explained the news to them. "Can we sit with him?" Elizabeth asked gently as she tried to hide the tears that had begun to well in her eyes.

"Of course…talk to him…if he's still in there, then he'll hear ye," with that Carson headed back into his office, his shoulders showing the defeat and sadness.

Elizabeth walked over to the bed Rodney was lying in, he looked so pale against the white sheets, tubes running in and out of his arms, mouth, nose, patches on his forehead measuring his brain waves. She placed a hand against his soft silky brown hair and sighed, she allowed the tears in her eyes to show, to fall. She wasn't going to hold back, she regretted never telling him the truth, now she was going to show that regret and how dearly she loved this man. "I know you're still in there…and I know you can hear me…so come back, please," she bit her bottom lip, then leaning over she pressed a kiss to his forehead. The 'whoosh' of the ventilator pumping air in and out of his unresponsive lungs was the only sound to be heard in the room as his friends gathered around his body.

Looking across his brother's body to Elizabeth, John reached down and lifted his brother's limp hand into his, squeezing it tight, letting his brother know silently, that he was here and waiting.

"Hello?" he called softly looking around. He was confused, and disoriented, "anybody? What's going on?"

"Mom! Have you seen my pants!" came the voice of a young boy.

Rodney whirled around to see a young boy, no more than ten standing there in boxers and a short sleeve shirt looking angry, frustrated and in a hurry.

"No Keith, I haven't, did you look in your dresser?" came Elizabeth Weir's voice.

Again Rodney swiveled, stunned to see her standing there, looking beautiful as any other day, she had a little more gray hair, but what really struck Rodney was the beautiful gold band around her left ring finger.

"Elizabeth?" Rodney asked taking a step towards her, he reached out his hand, she was so beautiful, so amazing, she always had been, but here she seemed to just glow…She seemed so full of life.

"Liz…why are Keith's pants in our bathroom?" Rodney turned his head, stunned to see an older version of himself standing there, wearing jeans and a long sleeve shirt. A pair of jeans in one hand, the boy that had been standing in the room suddenly grabbed the pants from the older Rodney.

"Thanks dad!" the boy then hurried out of the room.

"He took a shower in our room last night, because the girls were using their's."

"Sweetheart, why don't we just find bigger quarters…" the older Rodney complained.

"Because, we're moved in here, and I really don't wanna move ten feet down the hall, besides the girls don't do that very often, so I just let him sneak into our bathroom."

"What is going on here?" Rodney spoke again as he looked around, he reached out to touch the older version of himself and gasped as his hand went right through the image.

"You are here to observe, not to be heard or seen…" came a female voice behind him.

Turning yet gain, Rodney looked at the woman, she was tall with raven hair and bright green eyes, "Seri?"

"Yes Rodney…when I died, I ascended…"

"AM I DEAD?" Rodney said suddenly, not liking this idea very much.

"No…but you are dying, I'm here to help that transition."

"You want me to…ascend? If you think they want me, then you're wrong. No one…I'm not done here on earth…I mean Atlantis…I mean…I've got a daughter…"

"You are here to observe…Rodney you are going to die," Seri explained.

"No! I'm going back to my Atlantis! I'm going to survive."

"You were electrocuted Rodney…"

"I don't care!" he cried, suddenly everything around him in the room stopped, "I want to live, to survive! I wanna thrive! I love the people I work with! I see my brother everyday….I see my best friend everyday…I watch my daughter shine with glee as she succeeds at the little things I won't ascend! I won't die! I haven't come this far! I haven't beaten so many things to die because of some fucking malfunction in a damn machine! I'm SMARTER THAN THAT!" he yelled.

"Observe…" was all she said.

Rodney let out a huff of anger and looked back towards the Alternate Atlantis Universe, the older Rodney seemed to be in his late forties early fifties, he looked good, aging had been good for him.

"Daddy," both the younger and older Rodney turned. A small girl came out of a bedroom on the opposite side of the room, she was beautiful, she looked so much like Elizabeth with the dark chestnut hair, her eyes were ocean blue around the pupil, but became greenas they moved out.

"What's wrong?" the older Rodney questioned as he lifted the little girl into his arms.

"She's…she's perfect," Rodney whispered as he watched himself hold the little girl.

"Rod, we should get going," Elizabeth said she moved over to the older Rodney, and gently pressed a kiss to the little girl's temple, "come here Bethie, lets get you ready," she said as she lifted the girl into her arms.

"Keith, buddy let's go, Uncle Carson waits for no one," Rodney called.

The ten year old boy hurried into the room, "I think Lauryn went to the labs already dad," explained the boy.

"Don't worry about your sister, son, she's a big girl, she can handle herself."

"That's not what you said when you saw her and Johnny together," Keith replied grinning.

"Son," Rodney paused, "shut up," there was a joking tone in his voice as he cupped the back of his son's neck and they made their way out of the large room.

"Dad…is that you?" Rodney stared at his daughter, the world he came from his little girl was just turning one, and none of his other children existed, but here…she had to be at least sixteen or seventeen.

"You can see me?" Rodney asked suddenly.

"Sure…but you look different…"

"Seri?" Rodney called quickly, searching for the ancient. The world around him stopped again

"She can see me? Why? How?" Rodney questioned.

"I cannot tell you this...if you wish to live, however, she is the only one who can help you."

Rodney looked back at his daughter, "Lauryn, I'm from another world...I need your help. Your father, from this universe will be in at any moment, down four floors there's a piece of ancient technology, I believe it's some sort of electrical stasis chamber...I think it takes...well I think it might capture the person's soul. I need you to help me...I need you to help send me back to my world by releasing...what might be my soul caught in the chamber."

For a moment, he was sure she hadn't heard him, didn't understand him, then finally she spoke, "how can I help?"

"It needs to be recalibrated, I think with your help I can rewire it and reverse the affects...essentially sending me back to my year."

"Where is it?"

"Four levels down, by the water sanitation systems...tell your dad that's what it is...he may not believe you, but well he'll get over it...trust me."

"I'll meet you there," Lauryn said suddenly as she heard her father's footsteps. The door quickly slid open and the older Rodeny stepped through the door.

"You're up early," he spoke gently, as if trying to be casual.

"I wanted to get some paper work done," she replied just as casual.

"Right...So, how's Johnny?"

It caught her off guard, and she naturally answered, "he's fine..." she winced.

"He's your cousin..."

"Not by blood. I'm adopted."

"He's twenty-two."

"So, he's my best friend, I can like him...if I want to."

"I won't stop you if you two...start dating."

"Dad...don't worry."

"Right, well it's my job to worry I'm your father."

"Do you mind if I go work on another project?"

"Where?"

"Water sanitation, four floors down?"

"Yep, call if you have any trouble...and don't forget to eat."

"That's calling the kettle black," muttered Lauryn.

Rodney was already waiting for her when she finally arrived in the smaller lab, where he stood studying the ancient device. "Took you long enough," he mumbled.

"Sorry, so what happened?" She asked rubbing her hands as she headed over towards the machine

"Don't touch it!" Rodney suddenly shouted.

Lauryn jumped slightly and nodded, "sorry bout that... bad habit..."

"Yes, one you know doubt got from Carson or John...Anyway I touched one of the wires, I felt an electric volt surge through my body, then I was here."

"Wow...did it hurt?"

Rodney looked at her as if she were the dumbest person in the world, "please tell me your kidding..."

"Right...sorry, dumb question, anyway what needs to be done?"

"Open your laptop, I'll fill you in on the schematics, then we'll go from there. Essentially we need to recreate what happened to me."

"Wait...you wanna re-electrocute yourself?"

"Do you have a better idea? Cause I'm open to suggestions."

"Snappy," she mumbled very similar to what Carson had always said.

"You're spending way too much time with Carson."

"I baby-sit his kids."

"Kids, huh? Who'd he marry."

"I shouldn't really tell you that."

"So...you and Johnny?"

"Sorta...dad and Uncle John seem to think so, but we're just friends...really close friends."

"So, I shouldn't be concerned?"

"We're not doing anything if that's what your inferring, I care for him...I'm not sleeping with him."

"Yes well, your far too you to be doing that sort of thing anyway."

"Yeah, I know dad, believe it or not but you did teach me a few of the basic things. Don't worry."

"It's my job to worry, I'm your father."

Elizabeth sat silently beside Rodney's bed, her elbows propped up on her knees as she looked between the pasty, white, unresponsive face and the monitors for his brain activity.

"Liz?" Carson whispered as he wandered through the dark empty infirmary towards his dear friend. "Have ye been here all night?"

"Yeah...couldn't sleep. I just kept thinking about him waking up and being alone...I didn't want him to be alone."

"He wasn't alone lass, I would have been here."

"It just doesn't seem to be fair...why is it always him?" she whispered. "I don't know if I can keep doing this?"

"Doing what?" Carson questioned.

"I keep getting closer and closer to him...then something happens and I feel like a part of me is dying... I can't keep watching him, or John almost die..."

"My father was a fireman..." Carson said suddenly.

Elizabeth was stunned by this, Carson rarely shared any information about his father, she never truly understood why. However she remained silent as he sat down across the bed from her.

"He died when I was ten...that dreaded phone call all mums fear getting...anyway, she was sittin' at home one night...an' one of those cars rolled up...it was my da's fire chief...my mum knew then that he was dead. He died in a collapsed building, never had a prayer...they kept trying to get to him...but he told them to stop trying, save themselves. Anyway...I remember askin mum, a few years later, how she did it."

"And?"

"She looked at me and smiled, 'Carson' she began, 'when ye love someone, ye take the good with the bad, an' ye pray for them, every mornin' when ye wake up, and every nigh' before ye go to sleep,'" Elizabeth watched him smile faintly as his eyes misted over, he paused, looking down at his hands for a moment, "Elizabeth...if you love him, if you love John, even just as friends or brothers...you'd be surprised what you'd put up with, deal with. It's not the frightening moments in between that leave ye breathless, but the joy they bring every other day of your life. That's why ye keeping doing it, because the good always out weighs the bad..."

She smiled softly, unable to find any words that could express her gratitude or respect for the man sitting in front of her, reaching out her hand, she was glad when he took her's. Together the two sat in silence, grasping one another's hand, perhaps deep down somewhere, they were praying for another chance with their closest friend, or maybe they were just keeping vigil over their sick friend, it didn't matter. They did it together.

"I think I have it..." Lauryn said finally.

"Good..." Rodney paused suddenly, "Seri!" he called again.

The world around him paused for another time, and Seri appeared, "you rang?" she mumbled in annoyance.

"If I do this...if I go back...will my life change? Or will I live to just die another day like that other reality?"

"Your future is whatever you make it Rodney, does it truly matter what happens a day from now, or ten years? You will die one day, perhaps today isn't going to be the day, but someday you will die...only you can write your future."

"How cryptic...Do you know Oma?"

"Goodbye Rodney," she said as she turned to leave.

Once again Rodney was left with Lauryn, his sixteen year old daughter and their machine, "Lauryn...if this doesn't work..."

"Dad, just try it."

"I will...I just wanted to say..."

"Dad...I don't want to hear it, whatever you have to say can be said when you get back..."

"But I..."

"Dad...please," Rodney was stunned at how familiar this conversation was. He just looked at her, then nodded slowly. Reaching out with hesitation he was surprised that his hand was more solid than before. He touched the button from earlier. He felt another jolt shoot through his body, then his world was black.

His surroundings began to return, the images around him became fuzzy noises, "he's got normal brain waves..." came one voice.

"Normal for him...or normal for everyone else, because if it's normal for everyone else I think there's something very wrong with him..." came another.

He didn't open his eyes again until three days later when he finally did wake he was pleased that the lights were lower than they had been before when he had tried to awaken. "Carson?" Rodney called weakly that evening; he had woken up again, finding himself hungry and thirsty.

"Yes Rodney?"

"Lauryn's birthday...it's tomorrow right?"

"Aye..."

"Could we...could you make her a batch of cookies or something..."

"Aye, I think we can do that..."

"Sucks...to have her dad in the hospital for her first birthday," he muttered as he picked at the food Carson had suddenly placed in front of him.

"Aye...but it would suck more if ye weren't here at all..."

Rodney was sitting up in bed early the next morning, jabbing his fork at the jell-o. "Carson says your on the mend…" the voice startled him, sending his spoon clattering to the floor.

"Elizabeth…" he said smiling, "hi."

"Hi yourself, as I said Carson says your getting better quite quickly…for someone who was unconscious nearly six days…"

"I do my best…Look…Liz…"

"No, hang on a minute…I want you to listen to me…" paused, waiting for him to nod slowly, "You are…the best friend I've ever had. I can talk to you, tell you things, that I can't tell some people. I love you, I won't stand here and try to deny the fact that I've spent the past two years falling for you. However…I think, at least for the time being we should…just be the friends that we've always been."

"All right," he whispered, not wanting to admit that her saying these very words hurt.

"I'm sorry Rodney…"

"No…don't be…listen, uh, could you get Lauryn…it's her birthday and all," he said smiling weakly.

"Happy Birthday dear Lauryn, happy Birthday too you!" everyone sang. Rodney smiled as the girl clapped with glee and blew out her solitary candle. There was nothing in his world as important to him as this little girl in his arms.

"Happy birthday my angel," he whispered gently kissing her forehead

"Okay everyone; let's leave the father and daughter alone for awhile," Carson said after everyone had given their presents to the sweet girl. He ushered everyone out before eyeing his best friend. "Rodney…I don't know if it matters right now…but I'll always be here as a friend."

"I know Carson, and thank you," replied Rodney smiling gently.

He watched his friend go, then faced his little girl, her beautiful eyes looked up at him innocently as she played with the rubics cube Rodney had given her. "I just wanted to tell you…not that you really care…you're one of the good things in my life sweetheart, you've changed me…for the better, thank you beautiful…" he pressed a kiss to her head and smiled as she giggled.

"Wov dadda," she said gently tapping his cheek.